Chapter 82

The Divine Demon's Selection (82)

"What's a relic doing in a wooden Buddha statue!"

At Beopyeon's rebuke, the young monk flinched.

On the other hand, Hye-gong, who had broken the wooden Buddha statue, could not hide his surprise.

This was because he had discovered something among the remains of the wooden Buddha statue.

Hye-gong picked up the object that the young monk had mistaken for a relic and examined it closely.

It was a round wooden box painted black.

He had hoped, but as expected, it was not a real relic.

It was more likely a relic left behind by one of the previous patriarchs.

The Zen sect, known for its eccentric monks, is a Buddhist order famous for its unconventional behavior.

Shaolin Temple, which follows the lineage of the Zen sect, is a place where mischievous patriarchs are abundant.

Thus, he immediately understood the meaning of the wooden box.

"Was it arranged from the beginning that the statue had to be destroyed to obtain this?"

Buddhas and patriarchs are merely means to point to the truth, not the truth itself.

If one clings to the teachings of Buddhas and patriarchs, they will miss the truth itself.

Therefore, for those who seek the truth,

it means to strive with the resolve and spirit to attain it.

It is a prank in line with the teachings of 'killing the Buddha and the patriarchs.'

He became even more curious about the contents of the wooden box.

Given that it came from a statue that had been with Shaolin's history for a long time, it was unlikely to be ordinary.

Crack.

Hye-gong forcefully broke the wooden box.

And he took something out from inside.

It was a book.

'Washing... Following... Sutra?'

Beopyeon, who had been absentmindedly repeating the characters written in the book, suddenly froze like a statue.

"Seo-su-kyung!"

The words that burst out of the mouth of the head monk, Ryong-gong, made the other monks gasp in shock.

"Wasn't it left by Bodhidharma?"

"Wasn't it lost?"

Once started, the commotion did not easily subside.

The significance of the Seo-su-kyung was that heavy.

Bodhidharma, the first patriarch of the Zen sect and the founder of the current Shaolin, wrote two books during his lifetime.

They were the Yi-geun-kyung and the Seo-su-kyung.

While the Seo-su-kyung had been lost over time, the Yi-geun-kyung had been passed down through Shaolin to this day.

It was also the foundation of Shaolin martial arts, which Shaolin boasted as the source of all martial arts in the world.

"Though I suspected it would be something significant..."

Beopyeon could not continue.

He never imagined it would be the Seo-su-kyung.

If it was the original, it would have a value comparable to the relics of the Buddha.

"The last person to master the Seo-su-kyung was King Chungmoo."

Yue Fei, the unparalleled hero who saved the declining Northern Song Dynasty.

King Chungmoo was his posthumous title.

Hye-gong began to silently turn the pages.

The old monk's eyes, which silently examined the contents of the Seo-su-kyung,

were watched with bated breath by all the monks, who sensed the excitement and joy spreading over them.

How much time had passed?

Hye-gong spoke.

"Are they the Virtuous Woman and the Dark Woman...?"

Beopyeon immediately understood what Hye-gong was implying.

The story mentioned in the Nirvana Sutra's Chapter on Holy Conduct.

The Virtuous Woman brings wealth, health, and happiness, while the Dark Woman brings misfortune and disaster. And they are always together.

Although the statue was destroyed due to the monk's misdeeds, it led to the recovery of the Seo-su-kyung, which contains the secrets of the patriarchs.

"Do you know what this means for our temple?"

Beopyeon nodded, reciting a Buddhist chant.

How could he not know that the incomplete Shaolin martial arts, which relied solely on the Yi-geun-kyung, would be perfected with the Seo-su-kyung?

"It can prevent another incident like Beopryeo."

The Seo-su-kyung was like a lamp that illuminated the darkness.

Although Beopryeo was called a genius, his practice, which relied solely on the Yi-geun-kyung, had clear limitations.

While the realm of martial arts continued to evolve, the spirit could not keep up with the pace of development.

The gap between the spirit and the body.

It could solve the problems caused by this gap.

"I want to meet Bangeui in person when we find him."

"Huh?"

Hye-gong spoke to Beopyeon, who was puzzled.

"I heard the barbarian's beard is red. I want to see if he is the same."

"......!"

While the other monks were puzzled by the cryptic Zen dialogue, Beopyeon was amazed.

The word 'barbarian' had two meanings.

After all, from the perspective of the Central Plains, both the founder of Shaolin, Batu, and the first patriarch of the Zen sect, Bodhidharma, were foreigners.

Therefore, Hye-gong's words were both praising Bangeui as an extraordinary person like them and criticizing his rude and violent behavior.

"I will do so."

"Please try not to use the killing hand if you meet him."

Beopyeon bowed respectfully, respecting Hye-gong's intention.

However, at that moment, Choe-ak-ryang and Bangeui had already left Shaolin, blending in with the incense guests.

"I am deeply saddened that a major problem has occurred at the temple, and I pray that the Buddha's protection will be with you."

In response to the guest monk's greeting, the incense guests replied with Buddhist chants.

Choe-ak-ryang and Bangeui calmly joined their palms and hurriedly descended the mountain gate.

* * *

As night deepened, Beopyeon found Hye-gong again.

"Bangeui seems to have left. No trace of him was found anywhere."

"Is that so..."

Hye-gong's expression, which seemed to have a hint of regret, made Beopyeon inwardly smile bitterly.

In fact, he was secretly relieved that Bangeui had disappeared without causing further damage.

After a moment,

"Guests have arrived, it seems?"

Beopyeon nodded at Hye-gong's question.

"Yes. Shall I let them in?"

"Please do."

A short while later.

Dan-ak-seon, guided by Beopyeon, entered and spoke cautiously to Beopyeon and Han Seol-hwa.

"I want to speak with Hye-gong alone."

Hye-gong nodded, and Beopyeon and Han Seol-hwa left.

Once alone, Hye-gong formally clasped his hands together.

"I have not yet expressed my gratitude for today's events."

Dan-ak-seon was surprised and bowed in return.

"No, it was just my duty as a doctor."

"Beopryeo. Did you know he was my disciple?"

"Yes, the head monk told me earlier."

Hye-gong looked at Dan-ak-seon with a kind smile.

"Thanks to you, he was able to overcome his final delusion."

"Oh! That's right!"

Dan-ak-seon, recalling something, spoke to Hye-gong.

"After Beopryeo regained consciousness, we had a brief conversation. I think I should tell you about it."

"......?"

"At the time, he was very regretful about breaking out of samadhi."

Hye-gong was greatly surprised by this.

"Turns out he wasn't unable to wake up, but was refusing to wake up."

"Why...?"

The fact that Beopryeo had locked himself in a state of selflessness was a significant shock, and Hye-gong was speechless for a moment.

"I think it was a kind of escape."

"......!"

Hye-gong had a great realization from Dan-ak-seon's words.

He had accepted Beopryeo as a disciple in his later years due to his remarkable talent.

But that talent was not limited to martial arts.

Beopryeo was also an outstanding dharma vessel.

"Is that so... Was that the case...?"

Hye-gong sighed.

The gap between the Buddhist teaching to let go of everything and the reality of pursuing higher martial arts.

The contradiction between the attitude of a Buddhist who yearns for nirvana and the inevitable killing that comes with being one of Shaolin's top martial artists.

These contradictory and paradoxical situations had long troubled him.

"Good fortune. Good fortune indeed."

Grateful for the current karmic connection, Hye-gong looked at Dan-ak-seon.

Since he had received a favor, it was time to repay it.

"So, why did you want to see me?"

Dan-ak-seon's eyes became serious.

"I need your hand seal."

"Hand seal?"

"Yes. I want to create a joint petition with the consent of the martial arts elders."

Hye-gong, puzzled, nodded as Dan-ak-seon continued.

"I want to declare Gansu Province's Wuwei as a forbidden zone through this."

What Dan-ak-seon pursued was to prevent the division and bloodshed between the righteous and the evil factions within Wuwei.

The best way was to prevent one side from entering.

Since Choe-ak-ryang and Bangeui were considered evil, the choice was naturally the righteous.

"I